


whatever it takes

by Bugggghead



Series: missing moments and post/pre-episode fics [5]
Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, and betty is brilliant, and bughead does it best, bughead in the bunker, bunker cuddles and discussions, communication is my kink, jughead is sarcastic, missing moment fic, post episode 3.03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 07:20:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16403855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bugggghead/pseuds/Bugggghead
Summary: It’s not ideal, the metal walls and evidence of its past inhabitants both equally chilling in their own right, but it’s private, and it’s theirs, and Betty reasons that’s more than enough.-missing moment in the bunker from episode 3.03





	whatever it takes

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you @theheavycrown for being my forever cheerleader and an extra set of eyes on this little drabble. word blind is real, kids. take note. lol. 
> 
> anyway, bughead communication is kind of my kink so this little ficlet fills that out a bit. 
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

*

 

The bunker isn’t exactly what one would call romantic. The walls littered with cryptic sketches, remnants of the game’s ‘players’ and their adventures still sitting untouched on the singular table in the cramped space. A faint odor permeates every piece of cloth within the walls, a musty scent nearly imperceptible to them to now. At first, it had been overwhelming, a reminder of its location nestled beneath the earth, surrounded by the damp dirt many walked upon without ever knowing what truly laid beneath. But now it was familiar, comforting, a scent devoid of its newness now settled in the air they gulped in by the lungful every chance they could find. The scratchy sheets had been carefully removed, replaced with an old set Betty hoped her mom wouldn’t miss. The blanket was an old throw from the Jones’ trailer, one faded from years of hanging uselessly on the back of the threadbare couch.

 

It’s not ideal, the metal walls and evidence of its past inhabitants both equally chilling in their own right, but it’s private, and it’s theirs, and Betty reasons that’s more than enough. They’d replaced the sheets, brought a couple of pillows, even left a few rolls of toilet paper and a spare charger, but that was where the changes stopped. The mystery of the ‘game’ was deepening by the day, and while the bunker had become the safest space they had, it was still a vital location in the ongoing investigation they were determined to solve.

 

Betty’s eyes skate over the ribbed ceiling, the small groupings of dust stretched between the rafters, the handwoven dolls still hanging by the twine, exactly as they had been the first time they’d entered. She can’t quite figure it out. It feels as though they’re close to a break, so very close to finding some semblance of logic buried between the pages of ‘the scripture’, but until the book is in their hands, she’s not sure the pieces of the puzzle will quite fit, no matter how hard she tries to shove them together.

 

“Can’t we just take those down?” Jughead mumbles, his fingers carding lazy strokes through her loose waves, his lips grazing her temple as they lay between the sheets, limbs intertwined.

 

“It’s evidence,” she reminds him. “We don’t have much else right now, so I think we should keep every bit of it that we can intact.”

 

“We need the scripture.” He says it as a fact, because it is. They need it, nothing about the game will matter if they don’t know the rules.

 

The blue juice and boys’ bodies were far too real for there not to be an equally tangible piece of literature guiding their every move. No one would do those things without explicit instruction, and that line of thought leads her to the next. “Ethel has to have it, right?”

 

“She’s the only one left. I don’t see any other option.”

 

She twists her neck, catching his eye. “I have an idea.”

 

Jughead raises his eyebrows, wrinkles forming across his forehead as a wave of apprehension washes over his features. “I’m listening.”

 

“What if you asked her for it?”

 

“Well, Velma, you sure have come up with a solid plan. Can’t wait to implement this one. Where should I ask her, Betts? At school? Down here? Maybe I’ll wander the woods at night and find her on stilts with a sheet thrown over her and branches weaved in her hair.”

 

Betty laughs, lightly swatting his chest before leaning up to kiss the smile curving around the edges of his mouth. Her lips linger for an extra second, hovering over his before she pulls back and arches an eyebrow as she tries her hardest to look displeased by his blatant abuse of sarcasm. “First, I can’t even begin to tell you everything wrong with that statement. So, I won’t. But, you might be onto something.” She shifts again, resting her head on her palm, leaning on her side and gazing up at him. She knows what she’s about to say might not be the best idea, but it’s currently the only one she’s got. “Maybe you should ask her if you can join the game.” The look of disbelief has returned, his eyebrows resuming their earlier position near his hairline and his lips pulled into a tight line as he stares down at her. Betty reaches up, smoothing her thumb over the deep crease as she speaks. “She liked you once, Juggie. I have a feeling she won’t be immune to your charms. What if you work for the information from one source, and I’ll track down another. Our parents know _something_ , what that is exactly, I don’t know, but we’ll find out. You coax information out of our dearest Princess Etheline,” she pauses, amused by the way his eyes roll so effortlessly, as if the practiced motion is simply reflex, “and I’ll work on my mom.”

 

“Divide and conquer? That’s your grand plan?”

 

“Do whatever it takes to crack the case,” she corrects. “ _That’s_ the grand plan.”

 

“Whatever it takes?” he questions, tightening the arm slung around her waist and pulling her flush against him again.

 

“Whatever it takes,” she mumbles, her lips finding purchase on his chest, pressing a kiss just above his heart, then just above that, moving upward in time with his hands traveling the opposite direction.

 

  
*

**Author's Note:**

> So I have considered making this a two or three part thing (mayyyyybe). They'd all be short parts and I'd definitely want them posted before the next episode so no promises but it _might_ happen.
> 
> Come find me on tumblr @bugggghead
> 
> Let me know what you thought! Comments ALWAYS appreciated <3 - K


End file.
